CRISPR-Engineered Solutions for Targeted Microbial Control and Environmental Biotechnology

CRISPR-based technologies are transforming microbial ecology and environmental biotechnology. Precise genome editing tools, particularly systems like Cas12a, enable targeted modulation of microbial community composition and function. However, significant challenges remain in safely and effectively manipulating diverse microbial populations within complex environmental and industrial settings. Key obstacles include reliable CRISPR delivery, minimizing off-target effects, and scaling gene editing to large, dynamic ecosystems.Advances in delivery systems such as engineered bacteriophages, conjugative plasmids, mobile genetic elements, and nanoparticle carriers, show promise for selectively targeting specific microbes. Improved guide RNA design has enhanced CRISPR specificity and reduced unintended editing. Studies in bioremediation, pollutant degradation, and pathogen control demonstrate the potential of genome engineering for sustainability applications. Yet achieving predictable, controllable outcomes in natural environments while ensuring biosafety and ecological compatibility remains a critical research frontier.This Research Topic brings together cutting-edge work on CRISPR-mediated approaches for targeted microbial editing and community management. Our goal is to advance scalable tools, methods, and frameworks that enhance environmental stewardship, enable pollutant mitigation, restore ecosystem health, and drive innovative industrial processes. We particularly encourage contributions on novel delivery technologies, computational optimization of CRISPR components, and field-validation studies demonstrating real-world impact.We encourage contributions of Original Research, Review, Methods, Data, Technology and Code, Hypothesis and Theory, and Perspective articles of CRISPR applications in environmental and industrial microbial ecosystems. We welcome the following themes:• Design and optimization of CRISPR delivery systems for microbes in complex environments• Strategies for minimizing off-target effects and maximizing editing specificity• Applications of CRISPR-mediated microbial engineering in bioremediation and pollutant degradation• CRISPR-based methods for pathogen control and ecosystem restoration• Demonstrations of scalable and sustainable microbial management solutionsPlease note that Microbiotechnology does not consider descriptive studies that are solely based on amplicon (e.g., 16S rRNA) profiles or comparisons of nucleic acid extracts (e.g., metagenomics), unless they are accompanied by a clear hypothesis and experimentation and provide insight into the microbiological system or process being studied. Topic editors: Pankaj Kumar Arora, Akhilesh Kumar, Dr. Gaurav Saxena Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80594/crispr-engineered-solutions-for-targeted-microbial-control-and-environmental-biotechnology